


and i don't know how it gets better than this

by whiteautumn



Series: Yu-Gi-Oh! Oneshots [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Love Triangles, M/M, Romance, Ryouken and Spectre being best buds, Yuusaku and Miyu being best buds, Yuusaku tries to be a good friend, no beta we die like men, not the valentines fic that i planned for but the one that i wrote, ryouken is a (good) mess lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-22 09:29:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22713859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiteautumn/pseuds/whiteautumn
Summary: Their first Valentine's Day together, and Yuusaku has to worrying about his plans with Ryouken, help with Miyu's Spectre problem, and deal with his boyfriend going from zero to a hundredand back.“Well…” There’s a mischievous light in Miyu’s eyes as she narrows them at him, “If you don’t mind me borrowing your habit, one, it’s your first Valentines together! Two, I’m sure you’ll want to do something for Kougami-san. Three, it’s a tag duel tournament! And I know you two have never teamed up before, imagine how much fun both of you will have!”
Relationships: Fujiki Yuusaku/Revolver | Kougami Ryouken, Spectre/Zaizen Aoi, Sugisaki Miyu/Zaizen Aoi, mentioned Homura Takeru/Kamishirakawa Kiku
Series: Yu-Gi-Oh! Oneshots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/989760
Comments: 16
Kudos: 36





	and i don't know how it gets better than this

**Author's Note:**

> Not the Vday fic I envisioned but the one I wrote. Ah well. 
> 
> This work pays tribute to a certain legacy character ~~for the lulz~~. It also pays tribute to a several DSS writers out there. I would've loved to include more of you, but it was getting too long and the 14th was looming over me. But I love all of you and DSS wouldn't have sailed this far without all of you x. Have a VDay fic from someone who thinks the holiday is meaningless lmao.

“Ne, ne, Yuusaku. Have you thought of what to do?” Miyu’s voice snaps him out of his daydream as Yuusaku shifts his chin on his hand to look at his classmate, an eyebrow raised. The girl had somehow gotten rid of Shima - he could see said person gaping at him from where he’s standing on the steps in the middle of the classroom - and was now in his seat, beaming at Yuusaku. 

“What to do?” He parrots, tilting his head in confusion. If possible Miyu’s grin grows wider and she nods, hair bouncing along with her large movements. 

“For Valentine’s Day!” Yuusaku takes a moment to blink, something that Miyu catches, narrowing her eyes. “You do have something planned, right?”

“Uh,” He shifts his eyes away from her piercing gaze, “... I guess?” No he doesn’t. The truth is, he’s forgotten all about the day until Miyu brought it up, and he’s not sure if he has to do anything. Neither he nor Ryouken are the type to be into events like this - Yuusaku because it’s troublesome, and Ryouken because he’s perpetually always cheesy. Miyu pouts from where she sits, poking Yuusaku lightly on the shoulder. 

“You really should do something, you know, I heard from Aoi-chan that this is your first Valentines together with Kougami-san.” He really needs to stop Aoi from babbling his secrets out to her best friend, but he’s also come to observe that girls - and Ai, that gossip - tend to talk, so he doesn’t know how much use that’d be. Therefore, he shrugs in reply instead. 

“What about you?” He wasn’t really interested in the weird triangle Aoi, Spectre and Miyu have going on, but anything to get Miyu off his back about his Valentine’s Day plans - or lack thereof. The brunet brightens further, something Yuusaku didn’t think was possible, and she grins at him. 

“There’s a Valentine’s event going on in Link VRAINS!” Her blueish-grey eyes light up, “You get to invite a partner to participate in a bunch of stuff. There are games and activities like ice-skating and things you’d usually see in a carnival.” Here, her smile turns sly, “But most importantly, there’s a tag duel tournament for couples. Winner gets an exclusive title and gets their name etched into the Duel Maison’s Hall of Fame!” Yuusaku raises an eyebrow, skeptical. 

“All this for a Valentine’s event? Isn’t that a bit too much?” Shima clears his throat from where he’s been standing and acting like he’s not listening into Yuusaku and Miyu’s conversation, and puffs out his chest, patting one hand against it.

“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong, Fujiki,” Yuusaku exchanges looks with Miyu, “Ever since Zaizen’s brother became the CEO, SOL Technologies has been organising more events in Link VRAINS along with the newly patched Duel Maison,” He looks oddly proud for some reason that Yuusaku could honestly not figure out. “All duel tournaments are recorded in the Hall of Fame. It’s only right that this one would be too!” 

“I see,” He has to suppress the smirk that’s threatening to form on his face, “Are you planning to join this one then?” Ryouken really is rubbing off him with all that “be nice and make more friends in school” if he’s thinking of teasing Shima, of all people. 

“I - of course not!” blanches Shima, “I’ll be happy just watching…” He fiddles with his fingers redirects the conversation back to Miyu, “Sugisaki, you’re thinking of joining?” Miyu smiles slyly, nodding. 

“I am, but I haven’t thought of a way to invite my partner to the event yet.” She sighs, resting her face on her hand, “I don’t want _that guy_ getting there before me.” Yuusaku resists the urge to roll his eyes at that. “There are a couple of ways to do so, but it seems like the most interesting and sincere is the accessory and chocolate making mini-event before the major event kicks off on the fourteenth.” 

“You can make your own unique chocolate or accessory by customising from the catalogue given, whatever you think would fit your partner best, and send it to them along with the invite.” She traces a finger over the table top, brows furrowed together in deep thought, before straightening her back and turning to look at Yuusaku with such a ferocious intensity it makes him balk. 

“You’re going to help me, Yuusaku.” He silently wishes for Aoi to still be in the same class as them so that she could do something about Miyu. However, if there’s anything Yuusaku has learned about the girl in their short, one and a half years of acquaintance, it’s that she’s extremely determined. 

“You should honestly ask Ryouken, he’s better at this than I am.”

“You’re not thinking of asking him to the event?” Miyu asks, an eyebrow raised, voice soft to prevent Shima from overhearing, “I was thinking we could brainstorm together, I could really use your help in beating Spectre this time.” Right, because Ryouken would take Spectre’s side in the Miyu-Aoi-Spectre triangle, so Yuusaku has to take Miyu’s side. The oddness in the logic of it all makes his head spin. He wouldn’t have dreamt of having to worry about issues like this two years ago. It’s not a bad feeling, however, as Ryouken had once mentioned, it means that all is well with the world. 

“Please, Yuusaku, I’ll help you with your gift for Kougami-san?” tries the brunette again, and Yuusaku sighs. 

“What makes you so sure both of us will want to participate in the event in the first place?” While Playmaker and Revolver’s relationship has blown over from being the greatest scandal in Link VRAINS - and the revelation was in neither way any of their doing, but a rather unfortunate incident during another event - to the most popular celebrity couple, they had never participated as partners in any events, particularly because this is also the first event featuring a major tag duel tournament. 

“Well…” There’s a mischievous light in Miyu’s eyes as she narrows them at him, “If you don’t mind me borrowing your habit, one, it’s your first Valentines together! Two, I’m sure you’ll want to do something for Kougami-san. Three, it’s a tag duel tournament! And I know you two have never teamed up before, imagine how much fun both of you will have!” Yuusaku merely makes a sound in reply, but Miyu does have a point. Playmaker and Revolver had never had a chance to team up in a tag duel, probably because those tournaments are rare in the first place even in the real world, not to say in Link VRAINS. Their decks have good synergy, and it’ll be interesting to be able to duel together with Ryouken rather than against him. 

… Well, he’s still not too big on the whole Valentines jig, but Miyu does have him sold with the tag duel tournament. 

“... Fine.” He whispers back at Miyu, who brightens like the sun, grinning and slamming her palms on the desk. 

“Thank you, Yuusaku, I promise you won’t regret this!” She stands up, smooths her skirt down with one hand, before squeezing her way out of Shima’s seat back to hers. “I’ll text you!” Yuusaku was about to point out that they could just meet after school, before he realises that Ryouken has all but appointed himself as Yuusaku’s personal chauffeur since they started moving together. If they don’t want Aoi or Ryouken finding out, they can’t meet after school. 

“Did you just agree to help someone do something?” Shima asks, eyes wide as he settles back into his seat. Yuusaku shrugs, a chin propped on his hand. 

Thankfully, Shima seems to have developed some kind of ability to finally tell when Yuusaku decides that the conversation is finished, so he sighs and goes back to his tablet as their teacher walks in for the next period.

* * *

Ryouken waiting for Yuusaku by his car during after school hours isn’t a rare sight by any means. While Den City High had been blown away and gossiped about the tall and handsome pretty boy’s appearance at first, he had become somewhat of a constant fixture during the students’ after school routine for the gossip mongers to die down. Not, of course, for the lack of trying from hopeful girls… those targeting Ryouken are easy to deal with. His boyfriend is polite enough to turn them down, and they’ve mostly been well-mannered and understanding. Those who are more aggressive… well lets just say Yuusaku had always been the possessive kind when push came to shove. It’s the other kind, the ones who are always lurking around to see if they ever do anything couple-y. Those are tougher to deal with, but both of them had eventually learned to ignore their presence completely while not feeding their fire. 

So when Yuusaku hears the rush of gossip as he makes his way down the stairs and changes his shoes, he can’t help but to be intrigued. 

“Did you see? There’s someone with Kougami-san today!” 

“He has flowers in his hands!” 

“He has silver hair, it’s so dreamy.”

“And he was talking to Kougami-san too, do you think he’s waiting for Fujiki-kun as well?” Unlikely, because there’s only one person in this school that can attract Spectre’s attention like that. 

From the edge of his vision, he sees Aoi tense and Miyu frown, grip on her locker tighter than usual. 

“Do you think Fujiki-kun knows who he is?” 

“Should we ask?” He suppresses the urge to roll his eyes because they should realise that he can hear them. 

No, he’s not going to be subjected to the torrent of questions just because his fellow schoolmates are curious about Spectre of all people. He sighs, closing his locker and turning to hightail it out of school, before Miyu grasps his shoulder, eyes stormy and narrow.

“Yuusaku, you have to help me get rid of him.” He sighs, turning to look Miyu in the eye. 

“It’s Spectre… he’s more stubborn than the tree he worships.” He winces, “Plus I don’t think Ryouken’s going to let Spectre leave with us without at least passing the flowers to Aoi.” Said girl is still biting her lips and looking in the direction of the school entrance, where Ryouken is usually parked. Her eyes flicker between where Yuusaku and Miyu stood to the tiny figures of Ryouken and Spectre. If Yuusaku had to guess, she’s likely debating the pros and cons of leaving and exposing himself to the spectacle that comes with Spectre and his flowers, versus staying in the school building and not being able to leave and making Spectre wait - which will still fan the gossip circles.

Miyu deflates in acknowledgment, understanding fully that Ryouken is more supportive of Spectre than Miyu at this point - Yuusaku had actually managed to wriggle that out of him once, something about him being glad that Spectre has finally shown interest in something other than botany and even better that it’s a someone instead - before taking a deep breath and making her way back to Aoi. 

“Aoi-chan, do you want to go now, I can stay with you if you want to stay.” There’s something pleading in Miyu’s words, but Aoi doesn’t seem to notice, clenching and unclenching her fists and taking a deep breath, she turns to Miyu. 

“I want to go, but I want you there with me, please?” It’s not the best scenario for Miyu, but her eyes light up nonetheless. They interlink their fingers together as they make their way out of the school building, Yuusaku following behind with a slight lift to his lips. 

Ryouken notices them, or rather Yuusaku, first, turning to raise a hand in greeting, before narrowing his eyes in amusement at Aoi and Miyu, elbowing his friend forward. It’s slightly amusing to watch Spectre stumble just the slightest bit in his steps at Ryouken’s action, and even more so when he gives Ryouken the stink side eye - another thing which Yuusaku would’ve never imagined could happen until recently. Leaving Spectre, Aoi and Miyu to their own upcoming relationship drama, Yuusaku passes all of them to greet Ryouken softly. 

“Hey.” His boyfriend beams back, blue eyes clear and bright under the late-Winter afternoon sun. Decked out in a dark brown coat and white scarf, Ryouken strikes a dashing figure and Yuusaku feels his heartbeat quicken.

“Hey yourself.” Ryouken presses a quick kiss to Yuusaku’s forehead, leaning back against the door of his car and gesturing for Yuusaku to do the same. The younger boy follows through with a raised eyebrow, snuggling into Ryouken’s side as he wraps an arm around the small of his back. 

“Is there a reason why we’re watching this instead of heading home?” Calling Ryouken’s new mansion home still gives Yuusaku a warm and fuzzy feeling in his stomach. Ryouken chuckles, watching as Miyu sniffs and straightens her back beside Aoi as Spectre approaches.

“Spectre has to follow through with his promise of giving Aoi flowers and asking her out for Valentines. I’m here as his best friend to make sure he follows through with that promise.” That, in Ryouken speak, basically means he’s here to watch Spectre embarrass himself. It’s striking how the dynamics between the two have changed ever since the defeat of the Ignises and Yuusaku’s return from his journey to search for Ai’s remnants. The biggest catalyst, however, was still Spectre’s confession to Aoi, which had set Miyu’s nerves on edge. Then followed the constant flirting and courting gestures - he’s willing to bet some of those were Ryouken’s idea, damn his romantic boyfriend - which had successfully broken through Aoi’s defences and made her much more receptive to Spectre’s advances, their turbulent pasts aside. 

“...You just want to have something to tease Spectre with.” He can’t help but to point out, and Ryouken looks at him with mirth in his eyes, before pressing a finger to Yuusaku’s lips.

“Shush, they’re talking.” 

“Hello, Aoi.” Yuusaku thinks Miyu has a long and tough road ahead of her as he sees Aoi blush, pink dusting across her cheeks to her ears. He silently cheers his brunette friend on as Spectre offers up the bouquet in his arms with a gentle and polite _for you_. 

“Margaret daisies and pink tulips, a budding true love1.” Ryouken offers as an explanation, and Yuusaku actually rolls his eyes this time because this is what you get when a traditional romantic is best friends with a guy who’s obsessed with plants.

“Thank you,” The flush on Aoi’s face deepens, and Yuusaku spots the after school crowd slowing down to look at the spectacle that’s happening right at their school gate, some even stopping to stare completely - no surprise that Shima’s one of them. For once, Yuusaku is glad to not be the centre of attention, but his heart goes out to Aoi, who has indeed noticed the crowds and is now attempting to bury her head in her scarf, squaring her shoulders and imitating a turtle. 

“This is great and all,” Miyu cuts in, and Ryouken mumbles a _I should’ve brought popcorn and coffee for this,_ earning a light jab of the elbow from Yuusaku. “But we’re attracting too much attention, it’s making Aoi uncomfortable. So if you’re done with your business, could we all please move on with our lives, Spectre- _san_ ?” Spectre makes a show of finally noticing Miyu and the crowd that is slowly beginning to gather around them, before offering Miyu a polite smile nonetheless - he’s seen that smile before and prays Miyu can handle whatever Spectre’s about to dish out at her. She’s a strong girl who has, in her words, _protected_ Aoi from her ex-stalker thus far, but Yuusaku knows it’s because Spectre has been holding back for Aoi’s sake, other reasons being partially because Ryouken would get angry otherwise, partially also because Spectre has changed slightly for the better. 

“Hello, Sugisaki-san.” He looks around, addressing the crowd, “Well, we are indeed attracting a lot of attention here,” Turning his attention back to Aoi, “We should get out of here and go on a date, don’t you agree, Aoi?” Spectre winks, and Ryouken chokes on air, free hand flying to his mouth to muffle his giggles, turning them into coughs. Yuusaku feels the edges of his lips lift as well, biting them to stop the giggles from spilling out, silently glad that the three are too far away from them and too engrossed with each other to hear Ryouken’s slip. The crowd reacts to Spectre’s suggestion with a rising commotion. 

“A date? Did he just ask Zaizen-san out on a date? Kyaaa!” 

“So he’s not waiting for Fujiki-kun?” 

“Of course not, Fujiki-kun and Kougami-san are together and are perfect for each other!” 

“Well who knew Zaizen’s so popular!” 

“Oh, quiet, Zaizen’s gonna reply!” 

“I,” It’s obvious that Aoi has heard everything, her brown eyes darting around to search for any kind of sign that’ll help, briefly meeting Yuusaku’s. He has to shift his eyes away, feeling slightly guilty for doing so, but he’s not getting involved with Aoi’s decisions, despite having agreed - and he still has no idea how and why - to help Miyu. 

“I, uh,” Aoi tries again, Miyu squeezing her hand, “Miyu-chan and I have plans after this… So maybe another day?” It’s not a definitive no, and Yuusaku watches as Miyu’s expression brightens up briefly before falling just slightly, a marginally triumphant look directed at Spectre, finally settling on a bright smile directed at Aoi. “Aoi-chan…” 

Spectre shakes his head in a show of disappointment, before smiling at Aoi. “Very well then, how about tomorrow after school?” Aoi nods, and Spectre nods in return with a bright smile that dropped mildly in temperature as he meets Miyu’s eyes. It might’ve been his imagination, but Yuusaku could see sparks of electricity between them for a moment. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow then, Aoi, Sugisaki-san.” Aoi mumbles a soft goodbye, while Miyu drags her away gently. Spectre watches them leave and shakes his head, before turning around and making his way back to where Ryouken and Yuusaku are still lazing against the car door. 

“Welcome back,” Ryouken drawls, a tiny smirk on his face, “Didn’t go as well as you’d hoped, huh?” Spectre raises his hands in a show of defeat, shrugging with a tight smile on his face, but Yuusaku could tell he is a little upset. 

“I’ve got a date with her tomorrow, that’s as good as it’s going to get.” Spectre muses, before eyeing Ryouken in an affronted manner again, “No thanks to you, really.” His boyfriend scoffs, flicking a strand of white hair out of his forehead - and inducing screams from the girls in the vicinity - brushing off Spectre’s mock accusation. “I was trying to help you be more proactive.” The silver-haired boy scoffs in return. 

“Unlike you, I don’t dilly-dally,” He waggles a finger at him, nodding at Yuusaku, who flushes because he knows that Spectre is referring to their painfully long game of cat-and-mouse of a courtship. Ryouken catches onto the message as well, and he grunts reluctantly in agreement. 

“I might not give you a ride back just for that comment.” Spectre rolls his eyes, “That wasn’t even the plan to begin with, I was either going to take Aoi on a date, or the bus back. Also, you can’t fit three people in that car2. Even if you could, being in any kind of enclosed space with the two of you is more of a torture than anything else. No offence to you, Fujiki.” He mock-sighs, “I’m going to pick up more seeds for my garden, and prepare for my date with Aoi tomorrow.” Ryouken shrugs, pushing himself off where he’s leaning against the car, “Suit yourself.” Turning to unlock the door manually so that he could open Yuusaku’s door first. 

He gives Yuusaku a gentle push, and the younger boy takes the hint, moving to make his way into the car, nodding at Spectre in greeting, one which the silver-haired boy reciprocates. Ryouken moves to take his seat on the driver’s side, starting up the car and pulling his sunglasses out from their case in the compartment. 

“Good luck on your date tomorrow,” He smirks and Spectre bows, a hand across his chest. The action makes the girls squeal in excitement and Yuusaku smiles, because some things just don’t change. 

“See you around, Fujiki,” Spectre waves at him over Ryouken, and Yuusaku nods and gives a tiny wave back, as Ryouken drives away. 

“Other than Spectre’s little show, how was school today?” 

“It was fine, I didn’t realise you’ve become my mother.” jokes Yuusaku, voice teasing. Ryouken chuckles, “I can’t be interested in my boyfriend’s daily life anymore?” The younger boy merely hums in reply. There’s a tiny tone in Ryouken’s voice that Yuusaku picks up on, having been with him for so long - and having known each other even longer - that tells him Ryouken is nervous about something. Odd, but curious. 

“You’re fibbing.” He waits until Ryouken stops at a traffic light to point out his boyfriend’s nervous tick, made even more obvious now that the car is stationary. The white-haired male was tapping his left finger incessantly against the driving wheel, a tell-tale sign that he’s thinking of something that’s bothering him. Ryouken freezes for a moment, before sighing and turning to him, looking at Yuusaku with those beautiful icy blue eyes beyond the dark colour of his lenses.

“There’s no hiding anything from you, is there?” 

“No, now talk.” His boyfriend lets out a breathy laugh of resignation, shaking his head, “What a demanding princess.” The nickname brings forth memories of passionate coupling in bed, and Yuusaku has to fight to keep the flush off his face - Ryouken is still trying to distract him and like hell Yuusaku’s going to let him win this. 

“Stop trying to change the topic,” He pokes out his tongue at Ryouken as the light turns green, yelping and trying to avoid biting on it in the process as Ryouken starts the car up again. Shooting a mock glare at his boyfriend, Yuusaku huffs and turns to stare at the road. 

“Have you heard about the upcoming Valentines events in Link VRAINS?” He blinks, not expecting Ryouken to bring up this topic of all things.

“I - yes, Miyu was just talking to me about it in class, actually.” He wisely decides to leave out the part where Miyu persuaded him to help work on her plan to woo Aoi. Ryouken hums, thinking about his next words. 

“I was wondering if you’d like to be my tag partner for the tag duel tournament.” Yuusaku stares at Ryouken with wide eyes, the words replaying in his mind. The older boy seems to be content with letting him gape in silence at first, concentrating on driving, before finally becoming uncomfortable enough to shift in his seat, sneaking a glance at Yuusaku with a side eye. 

“This is actually pretty nerve-wrecking, so if you could say something, that would be great?” 

“Ah, no, it’s just - I never expected you to be interested in it.” Revolver has stayed out of the public eye of Link VRAINS so far, despite the revelation of his relationship with Playmaker, choosing to remain in the background and fulfilling Hanoi’s duties as the guardians of SOL’s expanding network. He had never taken an interest in any of the duel tournaments either, when even Yuusaku had participated in some of them as Playmaker thanks to endless pestering from Ai, Takeru, Miyu and _Aoi._ Seems like gaining friends also means he has more people trying to get him to become more social, but he can’t really find it in himself to mind. Yuusaku had respected Ryouken’s wishes to not participate in any of the tournaments so far, so this does come as a surprise. 

“...I just think it’ll be interesting to be able to duel with you, without anything at stake.” The tip of Ryouken’s left ear flushes red, and Yuusaku tries and fails to suppress a giggle, shoulders shaking. His boyfriend is just too cute. 

“Well,” He teases when he finally gets his laughter under control, “I wouldn’t say there’s nothing at stake, considering many duelists are aiming for the position in the Hall of Fame,” Here, Ryouken rolls his eyes, and Yuusaku continues, “But I would love to join the tournament with you.” The older boy heaves a huge sigh of relief at that, and Yuusaku tilts his head in question. 

“Thank you for agreeing. I wouldn’t know what to do with what I’ve prepared otherwise.” 

“What you’ve prepared?” Yuusaku parrots, a sinking feeling in his stomach. Ryouken regains some of that annoying but ridiculously sexy confidence of his and turns to smirk at him, lowering his sunglasses with one hand and looking at him with those dreamy, bright blue eyes. It takes all of Yuusaku’s will to not swoon, and his face feels warm again. 

“You’ll see, when we get home.” Yuusaku huffs, reaching up to push Ryouken’s face so that he’s looking at the road again, sunglasses crooked on his face. The white-haired boy chuckles, and his knees feel weak because he looks good even as a dork.

“Eyes on the road, you road hazard.” 

Miyu’s going to _flip_. 

* * *

The first thing Playmaker senses is the soft beeping of his inbox, and he opens his eyes to the vibrant main area of Link VRAINS. The digital banners that lined the skyscrapers are all advertising the upcoming Valentines event, with Blue Angel as the centre of attention, introducing the activities to players. He could see duelists already dueling in pairs in the city square down below, practicing their strategies and facing off against each other before the main event begins in three days.

The beeping continues, and Playmaker reaches up to open his inbox, smiling at the icon of Revolver smirking without his helmet in the sender’s field. The message is empty, short of a link, because of course his better half, genius hacker and ex-cyber terrorist he is, couldn’t follow the actual in-game event mechanics and has to hack this as well. With a chuckle, Playmaker clicks on the link and widens his eyes in surprise as the action triggers a programme download into his duel disk. A soft pink glow around his being, turning the yellow stripe of his body suit pink as well, before red, pink and white flower petals explodes around his being, strands of his fiery red hair flying along with the motion. It obviously creates a lot of noise and movement that attracts the attention of the players below, Playmaker feeling apprehensive as they look up at him with wide eyes. 

Maybe seeing the hero of Link VRAINS being covered in Valentines-themed flower petals might be a shock, but that’s no reason to - 

It takes him a long moment to realise that while seeing him in this state might be surprising, most of their attention is directed to somewhere above him. There’s also a shadow of… something… looming over him, and Playmaker feels an absurd sense of deja vu, a sinking feeling in his stomach as he looks up. 

_TO MY FAIR AND LOVELY PLAYMAKER:_

_WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE?_

_\- R 🔫_

The message, cheesy as it is coded in neon pink and shining against a black high resolution screen, is not what makes Playmaker facepalm. No, what makes him facepalm is what the screen’s located on. 

A blimp. Revolver programmed a blimp. A moving, bright pink balloon ship that Playmaker - he checks his duel disk thrice - could not control. He couldn’t stop it from moving around the city, and he can’t stop its programme either. Hence, he could only stare, dumbfounded, at the large structure slowly floats away, making its way around the main area. 

The whole of Link VRAINS is going to see this. 

He knows he’s already agreed to be Ryouken’s tag duel partner, and while he’s not going to change his mind about that, it isn’t going to stop him from getting back at his boyfriend for this later. 

* * *

_"OHMYGOSH IS WHAT I’M SEEING REAL”_ Yuusaku’s eyebrow twitches at Miyu’s message. 

“No.”

_“This is hilarious, Aoi finds it funny too. She says hi by the way, and to enjoy the chaos.”_

“I’m not going to help you anymore.” 

_“:( I’m sorry Yuusaku I need your help!”_

_“But I guess you don’t need mine anymore, huh?”_

“I’ll still help.” 

_“Thank you Yuusaku! You’re the best!”_

“Yuusaku, stop sulking, please?” Ryouken settles down beside him with two mugs of coffee, setting them onto the caster placed on the coffee table in front of the couch Yuusaku has commandeered since returning from Link VRAINS. From the corner of his eyes, Yuusaku could see him smile against the edge of his cup as he takes a sip of the milky white substance - how Ryouken still has perfect teeth and figure still mystifies him - and he huffs, picking up his own mug - pure, black goodness and none of that extra sugar and milk Ryouken bastardises coffee with - and going back to ignoring Ryouken for the time being. 

_“omg kiku told me what happened but”_

_“i only believed it when i logged on to see for myself.”_

_“are u okay???”_

“Ryouken’s spending tonight on the couch.” 

_“tmi but lmao sucks to be him. go u”_

_“kiku and i are participating in the tournament”_

_“too, maybe we’ll match up!”_

Leave it to Takeru to be supportive, Yuusaku smiles as he types out his reply. 

“Let’s have a good duel if we do.” 

He sets his smartphone down, gives Ryouken a side glance, one that his boyfriend returns straight on with a raised eyebrow, and returns to fiddling on his laptop. It’s obvious that Ryouken finds the whole situation funny - and Yuusaku isn’t really mad… just… mildly annoyed, and a little embarrassed… and touched. Because his boyfriend, good looking and suave as he is, could be a huge dork at times, and only Yuusaku knows it and it gives him a fuzzy feeling inside. 

“YUUSAKU-CHAN, RYOUKEN-CHAN! WHAT IS THAT?! I WAS ONLY GONE FOR A FEW HOURS!” 

Ryouken guffaws, and Yuusaku huffs, ignoring Ai’s antics as he waves his tiny hands around from his duel disk, demanding answers from both of them but getting none. 

* * *

_“A pair of wings.”_

“Blue Angel has those on her avatar.” 

_“Yes but they aren’t the actual life-like looking wings!”_

SOL’s announcements for events are announced three days before the start of the actual event, which also means time is not on Miyu’s side if she wants to code something on her own and execute the macro into the game illegally. Not that she could even if she wanted to. The company had actually released an official statement after the blimp fiasco, discouraging other players from following Revolver’s example after removing the macro - to Yuusaku’s relief, it was getting embarrassing but he didn’t want to be the one to remove it because he kind of liked it - and laying out clear punishments for those who attempt another. Akira had also contacted Ryouken privately, politely requesting that he not do it again. Ryouken had agreed, then shrugged and commented that he won’t pull the same trick twice. 

Yuusaku has to wonder what the point of the message was, Link VRAINS security is impenetrable to anyone not Ryouken or advanced AIs like Ai or Pandor, more so because Ryouken is currently partnered with SOL via Akira. No one else can pull off what Ryouken had done.

Come to think of it, Ryouken had accomplished all that in a span of a few hours after the announcement of the event, which is remarkable in itself. What’s even more amazing is the lack of public outcry against SOL for not taking action against Revolver. According to Ai, most of them seem to be more interested in gossiping about Playmaker and Revolver’s relationship, or discussing their chances of winning the tournament now that the two best duelists of Link VRAINS are tagging for the tournament. Even after all this time, Yuusaku finds it difficult to understand the minds of the public. 

“You’re not with Aoi right now?”

_“She’s on her date with Spectre :( I know he hasn’t sent his in-game invite yet, but I’m afraid he’s going to jump start in real life.”_

Yuusaku frowns, clicking open the extensive - seriously, there’s almost everything in this thing and Ryouken had to bring out his extra side and do _that_ instead - catalogue and bringing up his own searching and sorting programme, typing out “angel wings” into the command bar and tapping his fingers against the surface of his keyboard as it runs. 

As soon as the search finishes, Yuusaku runs his eyes through the results, sighing softly - it really would be a wonder if anyone could find anything in this bloody catalogue. The in-built search function is decent at best, and loads about ten items at a time. Perusing through it is a nightmare. He compresses the search results and attaches it into an email, sending it to Miyu. 

“I’ve sent my search results, good luck.”

_“Thank you, Yuusaku! I’ll make it up to you one day, promise!”_

There’s really no need for Miyu to do that, but Yuusaku isn’t going to argue that with her right now, not when she has more pressing issues to attend to. He has an inkling that Aoi liked both of them, and has no idea what she should do about her situation, but he has faith that she’ll eventually come to a decision that the three of them can live with. With a smile, he closes his laptop screen and stretches, when a movement draws his attention.

Ryouken stirs on the couch beside him, groaning as he throws an arm across his face, eyelids slowly fluttering open. Yuusaku looks down and meets lively clear blue, breath caught in his throat at how every single inch of his lover is perfect, almost exquisite, down to the way his lips draw a beautiful line when he smiles, and the way in which the light hits his long eyelashes. 

“Good morning,” The older male greets, voice slightly husky from sleep, and Yuusaku shivers in delight, whispering back, “It’s afternoon, and you took a nap.” Eyes narrowing like a lazy cat’s, Ryouken reaches up to caress his neck, Yuusaku mewling at the sensation. 

“What a view to wake up to~” He chuckles, Yuusaku huffs and leans down to press a kiss to his forehead, before delivering another to Ryouken’s lips, nose bopping against his chin in the process.

“Oh, shush you.”

“Are you still mad at me for yesterday?” It takes Yuusaku a moment to realise that he’s talking about the blimp, and he lifts his face up, shakes his head, feeling pink dust his cheeks again. 

“Uh, no? I mean, no, I’m not mad. It was very embarrassing, but kind of… sweet? There’s a reason why I didn’t take it down, or ask you to do it, after all.” He doesn’t meet Ryouken’s eyes, “It is really surprising though, since you’ve never done anything like… that… before.” Sure, Revolver has always had a flair for the dramatics, but nothing along the likes of what he’d done in Link VRAINS yesterday. 

It’s Ryouken’s turn to blush at Yuusaku’s remark, blue eyes suddenly wide and awake as he moves his arm downwards to hide his flush, mumbling something that Yuusaku couldn’t hear even with their closeness.

“Hm?” 

“I said… I got excited and carried away. Remember what I said in the car about it being interesting to duel together with you? That was an understatement, I was head over heels with the idea when it presented itself, and I might’ve gotten… overzealous with the gift.” Yuusaku feels his face begin to heat up as well as Ryouken turns pinkier. 

“I just… really want to duel together. With you.” Their eyes meet, and even from their awkward angle, Yuusaku could see how bright Ryouken’s eyes are, how happy and flustered he is at this moment. And Yuusaku feels the same, because he’s always wanted to be able to duel together with Ryouken, as a part of their future - which has now become their present - together, but has never had the chance to. 

And now, the chance has presented itself, and Ryouken is excited - the light in his eyes make him look so much younger, and Yuusaku thinks it’s a better look on him than when he was perpetually angry and serious. 

That boy Yuusaku had bumped into had never left. He’s now together with him, by his side, and all is good and amazing in Yuusaku’s world.

“I do too,” he whispers, feeling a smile form on his face. Ryouken beams at him, motioning for Yuusaku to move back a little so that he can sit up without their heads bumping into each other. 

“I have another gift for you.” Seeing Yuusaku’s expression of surprise, the older male laughs, “You didn’t think the blimp was your Valentine's Day gift, did you? I must not be doing a good job as your boyfriend if you really did think that.” The younger opens his mouth, unable to find words, and closes it again, looking down bashfully. Ryouken chuckles, reaching into his pants to pull out a tiny box which he opens. Yuusaku’s breath catches as he sets his eyes onto the ring perched in between the cushions. It’s a simple silver band, with a small sapphire perched at the top, the colour reminding Yuusaku of Ryouken’s eyes. 

“This isn’t a proposal ring, but you will be graduating in two months’ time and heading to university in autumn. I just,” Here, Ryouken’s voice shakes, but he continues, “I just wanted to take this opportunity to promise you, and to have you promise, that when the time comes, when I do propose, that you’ll say yes.” Yuusaku looks at the ring with wide eyes, feeling tears gather in them, before he smiles and looks up into the dazzling blues.

“I will, you know I will. And I have three reasons for you.” It’s now Ryouken’s turn for his breath to hitch, and Yuusaku continues. “One, for taking my hand and making the leap of faith with me. Two, for everything we’ve been through, from our meeting as kids up until now. Three, for you - for both of us to be happy together.” The hand holding the ring box shakes, and there are tears gathering in Ryouken’s eyes too. 

“I’ve already said this isn’t a proposal, Fujiki,” His boyfriend - his _soulmate_ \- chastises, chuckling. Yuusaku shrugs, reaching up to wipe away the tears that have gathered in his lover’s eyes, basking in the feeling when Ryouken does the same with his free hand. “But you turned it into one.”

“I’ve already proposed once, if you think about it. So technically you should be answering me instead.” Ryouken huffs, dropping his hand from Yuusaku’s face and holding it out to ask for his hand instead, a request Yuusaku fulfils, placing his right hand in Ryouken’s so that he could place the ring onto his index finger. The silver feels cool against his skin, and it’s beautiful, the way the afternoon sun hits the sapphire, making it gleam under the light. Looking at it makes him feel pleasantly warm, and it’s nice to be able to just announce that he’s made his promise to Ryouken. Speaking of….

“I assume there’s a matching one for you?” 

“That would be correct, my dear.” Now that Yuusaku has agreed, Ryouken’s back to being a tease again. He pulls out a single ring from the same pocket this time, identical to Yuusaku’s, with the exception of an emerald in place of the sapphire, and places it gently onto Yuusaku’s awaiting palm.

“Hand.” Ryouken rolls his eyes with a smile and places his hand in Yuusaku’s, allowing him to slide the ring on, before grabbing onto Yuusaku’s hand and interlacing their fingers. He presses their foreheads together, Yuusaku chuckling as their noses touch. 

“Thank you,” A soft whisper against Ryouken’s lips, and Ryouken presses a light kiss against his, “What for?” A teasing chuckle, “I should be thanking you.” The kiss is harder and more assuring the second time, Ryouken’s taste and the feeling of it leaving Yuusaku sighing contently, pleasant tingles spreading along his body.

“Let’s just agree that we should both thank each other, for many things.” He couldn’t be more glad for Ryouken’s presence by his side, and as he closes his eyes, basking in his better half. Roughly a year into their romantic relationship, and Yuusaku still has trouble believing that this is now his reality: his special person smiling by his side, Ai somewhat sane and happy - along with Pandor and a refurbished Roboppi - people he could call friends, and for the case of Takeru and Miyu, his best friends. 

His joking jab at Ryouken about his proposal had brought back memories of how different everything had been when they’d dueled at the Tower of Hanoi, an episode that now feels like a distant memory, fading against the vibrancy of everything else that has happened in the past year. 

Ryouken turned out to be a ridiculous nerdy dork under all that handsome smugness. Ai is still noisy, but endearing. Miyu, Spectre and Aoi are still trapped in a spectacle of a triangle. Takeru, still caring but awful at handling anything other than a phone and a duel disk. Kusanagi-san and Jin are finally happy. 

Yuusaku wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Hanakotoba: margaret daisy - true love; pink tulip - budding love  
> 2\. I gave our resident dandy the McLaren 650S Convertible. I was going to have him drive the 720S because it is a beauty, but I wanted something with a retractable roof, so the 650S it is. 
> 
> But _of course_ PM and Rev won. They're invincible together. ~~I merely ran out of time and words to write the rest lmao~~ I will write it one day. Yes, there will be more from this universe to come (for Zinnia/Blueghost and for Datastorm). I've created another monster.
> 
> Update: Some of you know that I had an unfortunate accident with my computer last week. It's been hellish and I've lost my plans, some of my WIPs, and the draft for _guidance's_ next chapter. Therefore, update for _guidance_ will be pushed back a little while I mope and not look at it for a while and be sad. But I will be back with an update eventually, hopefully soon.
> 
> Kudos/Comments greatly appreciated!


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